JEFFERSON. 16i JEFFERSON. outrageous disregani for international etiquette, and was rwalled, but the bitterness between Hamilton and .lelferson was never removed. JelFerson's secretaryship had not been congenial to him. and at the call of some private business, he retired December 31, 1793. Wasliington's an- nouncement in September, 1790, that he would not be a candidate for a third term, led to the nomination oi Adams, then Vice-President, and .lelferson by the Federalists and the Democratic Republicans, respectively. Adams, having re- ceived the highest vote, was chosen President, and Jefferson, having the next highest, was, under the law of the time, chosen Vice-President. As the duties which Jefferson had now to per- form were chiefly secondary, lie was able to spend most of his time at home, where, nevertheless, he continued to direct the party of which he was the head. The excesses of the French in the Reign of Terror caused a great reaction in America against Republican doctrines, and the Directory now in control in France seemed bent on having war with the United States. The American envoys were treated with insolence, and later the shame- ful incident of the "X. Y. Z.' letters brought not only the quick-tempered Adams, but also all but the most devoted followers of .Jefferson to a strong desire for war. This calamity was avoided because the French Jlinistcr. Talleyrand, seeing that he had overstepped himself in his knavery, now proclaimed the whole thing a mistake. The war feeling had, however, carried the President and his supporters so far that they felt justified in having the Alien and Sedition laws passed for the protection of the Government, the former making it possible to expel from the countrj' any nlien suspected of treason, and the latter making defamation of the Government a crime punish- able by a heavy fine. .Jefferson on this provoca- tion drew up the Kentucky Resolutions, which seemed strongly to manifest his belief in the right of a State to secede, although this is not abso- lutely implied and at least does not seem to have remained his fixed opinion. The election of 1800 resulted, after a campaign marked by great bitterness, in the election of the Republican candidates, .Jefferson and Burr receiv- ing the same number of votes. The decision fell to Congress, where Jefferson was chosen, chiefly through the influence of his opponent, Hamilton, who was too much of a patriot to desire the success of Burr. Although the Federalists, espe- cially of Xew England, predicted a revolution, Jefferson made few removals on entering office, was painstaking in his selections for vacancies, and by his popularity drew from the Federalist Part}- much of its vital energj-. The stately formalities that had marked the inauguration of the preceding Presidents wore omitted. .Jefferson rode horsetiack, without attendants, tied his horse to the fence, and walked unceremoniously into the Senate chamber. He also sent wriiten mes- sages to Congress. These changes in official eti- quette were paralleled in manners and dress; knee-breeches gave way to trousers, and sim- plicity, for which the President set an unosten- tatious example. l)eoame the order of the day. The most important event of .Jefferson's quiet first term was the purchase of Louisiana from the French. This step was deemed imconstitu- ticnal by him, hut the necessity of controlling the Mississippi and the obvious need of hast* abun- dantly justified the action. A little war with Tripoli, the first opposition that the Algerine pirates had received, led to the extinction of the tribute-paying to which Jefferson had so objected. The exploration of the Far West was under- taken and settlements across the ^lississippi were generously assisted. Four years of pros- perity and the almost complete disintegration of the Federalist Party led to the easy reelec- tion of .Iefrer.s<m in 1804. Burr's scheme to in- vade -Mexico to set up an empire brought about his trial for treason, and the prosecution gave Jefferson's enemies the opportunity to accuse him of gross partisanship. Jetrerson's second term is remarkal)le for his consistent and on the w'hole unsuccessful attempt to apply to foreign affairs principles of action so far in advance of his time that we have not yet arrived at them to-day. The long wars between France and Kngland had made these two nations utterly careless of the rights of neutrals. The United States, as the principal carrier of neutral goods, suffered most, her ships being attacked by both nations and her crews being impressed into British .service. This impressment by the British went on in spite of protest until a crisis was reached in June, 1807, when the British ship Leopard fired into the American frigate Cftesopcn/ve (q.v. ). Redress was demanded, but the British Government re- fused to touch the fundamental cause of the trouble, impressment. Thi' measures that Jeffer- son recommended in retaliation were those of commercial restriction such as had been not without effect in the eighteenth century. The Embargo of 1807 forbade American vessels to leave for foreign ports, and the Enforcement Act of 1808 put heavy penalties on the violation of the embargo. These acts proved without effect as far as changing the attitude of the British was concerned, and brought great distress on the tobacco industry of Virginia and or the commerce of New England and the Middle States. This policy was abandoned in 1809. shortly before .Jef- ferson retired from oflSce and took up the care of his plantation at Monticello. Here he ceased entirely from active political life, but by means of his facile pen still exerted an important influ- ence on the Government, especially upon his suc- cessors and disciples. Madison and ^lonroe. His house was the Mecca to which all America seemed to turn, his open and generous hospitality finally bringing financial distress upon him — a distress that both the Government and private individuals helped to relieve. .Jefferson's chief public service during this period was the founding of the Uni- versity of Virginia — a claim on posterity so great that he desired to have it commemorated in his epitaph, along with his authorship of the Dec- laration. In .June, 18-26, his health failed rapidly and he died July 4th, the same day that his pre- decessor in office. .John Adams, passed away. In person .Jefferson was tall (6 feet 2 inches), with a bony but strong frame, angular features, ruddy complexion, sandy or reddish hair, and light hazel eyes. In dress and bearing he was so far removed from the formal as to be almost slovenly. His manners were remarkably winning and his disposition very kindly, not only to his family and his friends, but to his slaves. While not precisely learned, he probably had the most receptive mind of his generation, and it is by no means certain that, although he was on the whole a far from strong Executive, he was not the most influential statesman of his day. In religion it
